Blue Scorpions

The scorpion species Centruroides gracilis is known in Cuba as “alacran azul,” or “blue scorpion” in English. Elsewhere, the blue scorpion is also known as the slender brown scorpion, the Florida bark scorpion or the brown bark scorpion.

In North America they are found in the U.S. and Mexico, and in South America they are found in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. In Africa they exist in Cameroon and Gabon. The species hardly exists in Europe.

In the U.S., many blue scorpions were introduced as pets. In natural habitats, blue scorpions dwell under bark and stones in forests set with plenty of refuge, like dead or fallen timber. They can also survive in temperate to hot locations that have an average temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius — so long as the area isn’t too humid.

Pet owners often enjoy the fact that blue scorpions don’t show signs of cannibalistic behavior. These scorpions can be kept together with other species of scorpions, so long as food and shelter are well provided.

Blue scorpions should not be mistaken for a species called the giant blue scorpion, another name for the Malaysian forest scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer). The latter is a relatively aggressive scorpion that can be often confused with the emperor scorpion.